A different ‘brid’

On a recent trip up north to test out the whole stable of Honda vehicles, I (along with veteran motoring writer Ron de los Reyes and his videographer son, Ronald) was fortuitously assigned to  a Honda Insight—a tasty piece of hybrid technology on wheels that Honda Philippines is positively itching to present to you guys. But I’m getting ahead of the story.

We touched down at the Tuguegarao airport around noon, and our party of scribes, video/stills documenters, and Honda Cars Philippines officials disembarked from the Air Philippines twin-propeller with an angry sun testily stinging every exposed body part.

Still, you must imagine what a pretty sight it was to see a whole representative array of Honda vehicles sitting at the parking lot. Despite the heat digging into the skin, it was hard not to admire the view. Most scrambled into whichever vehicle they chose. I spied an Accord driver’s seat that was still vacant, so I plopped in. Fellow Star Motoring writer (and C! editor-in-chief) James Deakin was fiddling with his phone in the front seat, and Alan got in the back. It was a short drive to Kainang Pilipino, where we were formally welcomed and briefed by our gracious Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI) hosts, led president and general manager Tatsuya Natsume.

Bellies full of pinakbet, papaitan, and other indulging local fare, we hit the road once more—some 160 kilometers of it—to Cagayan Holiday and Leisure Resort on the northeastern fringe of Luzon.

This time, I was assigned to the aforementioned Insight, alternating driving duties with Ron (the younger De los Reyes was preoccupied with camerawork).

We were surprised by the agility and nimbleness of the Insight (which eerily shares some stylistic cues with its Toyota competitor Prius). Both are hybrids, and both exude a measure of domesticity, if you could call it that.

Its 1.3-liter, in-line four is good for a Honda-claimed 98 horses (when combining the engine and electric motor).

The Insight features a continuously variable transmission (CVT) that, combined with a drive-by-wire throttle system, ultimately leads to better fuel economy.

A caveat, though: we registered a rather reduced fuel economy reading of around 14 kilometers to the liter (Honda claims 17), but that was probably because I turned off the Econ button. I was also driving faster than normal to keep up with our Honda convoy, which was cruising perfectly on the pristine Cagayan roads. On slower speeds, you can hear the engine switch off as the electric motor engages—13 horsepower delivered from a nickel metal hydride (Ni-MH) battery. We reached our destination, Cagayan Holiday and Leisure Resort, with the sun having dipped into the ocean.

Over dinner, our table of scribes got a chance to chat with HCPI marketing and sales general manager Roberto Ong about, among other things, what would be next for HCPI.

“If you haven’t noticed it yet, we’ve stepped up our marketing efforts,” he said with a grin. Indeed with multiple vehicle launches this year, the bad memories of 2011’s Japan tsunami and Bangkok flooding seem distant. Yes, they would like to bring in the featured hybrids—our Insight, and the sporty hybrid CR-Z (which we expect to try out in the future).

Honda’s not doing a cruel tease. In one of our stops, I asked Natsume flat out when we can expect the Insight and CR-Z in the Honda showrooms. “When the Hybrid Law (HB 5460) has been implemented,” came the equally flat answer.

It’s not hard to fathom why. The Hybrid Law will effectively slash the prices (currently beyond reasonable budgetary reach), of alternatively-fueled vehicles. When given import, excise, and value-added tax relief, some quarters say it can translate to as much as a 30 percent cut in price tags.

With much ado about the environment, here’s a concrete way for the people you vote into office to step up and make their voices count. The Congress has passed it; we’re waiting for our Senate’s imprimatur. Clock’s ticking; we’re watching.